Zulay

This is the surgery we are preforming this morning. This is a six year old girl with a dislocated hip. Her name is Zulay. This surgery will last about six hours. We pray that it will be successful and that she will recover without complications. 

Zulay after surgery today.

Bananas

It is my birthday (March 14) and Paul is cutting down our first banana harvest. We will have these patacones for lunch. The team from Hands for Humanity is coming today for a kick off day. There will be about forty people. Surgeries begin tomorrow, Sunday March 15th at eight o'clock Ecuadorian time. We look forward to Dr. Blake Neal's arrival this afternoon. He completes our team. Everyone here loves and appreciates Blake, as do we of course!

Delivering Bananas from our tree to be cooked for a welcome lunch.

Some of Our Patients

Today is Friday March 13th. We have just begun examining the 60 patients awaiting us.

This child's deformity will be surgically corrected since it will cause him difficulties with his growth

This is Doctor Villacreses a friend practicing in Portugal who joins us every year in Portoviejo with his wife Filipa and their little daughter Laura. He is examining a patient with a very complicated congenital condition.

Big Friendly Grin

He came in, a nearly toothless old man with a big friendly grin. With loving gusto he plopped the bag on the desk in front of us. He waited for us to investigate its contents, proudly standing in front of us, urging us to dig in.  

Obediently, we pulled out a recycled bottle filled with "esencia". This is brewed coffee essence which they keep in a jar and is used to prepare "cafe con leche" by putting a little into hot milk. It is a luxury most don't have. 

Next we pulled out a large can of local tuna. 

Next some homemade twisted bread and several homemade cookies.

The last item was a bag of homegrown coffee which he had roasted and ground This he was most pleased with...How did he know we would be too?

His grin became a smile when he saw our gratitude for the gifts. He squared off his shoulders communicating that he felt pleased with his gifts and our acceptance of them.

This was on Monday. You see on Friday he had come into the clinic to see Paul and discuss his constant and severe low back pain. Upon examination Paul recommended a special injection. The procedure here is that patients go purchase the medication and the doctor applies it. There are few supplies available in the clinic and besides this medication costs a day's wage. He indicated he did not have the money and would not be able to purchase it. Knowing how much it might help him, we sent for the medicine and made a gift of it to him.

His gratitude touched us and I was personally reminded of seeing such acts of gratitude expressed to our parents in Cuba by people they had helped. Memories flooded and I am again filled with gratitude for my family and for the wonderful life lessons we received under their care and guidance.

We are grateful to God for this opportunity and for His direction for our lives.

The Work Begins

This is Jeff Griffin who works for Samaritans Purse and is in charge of the construction of our surgical center. Jeff is visiting us for the weekend and the photo is taken underneath one of our generous papaya trees.

Our medical Mission work began on Friday March, 6 at the facility in Portoviejo known as C.A.S. This stands for Centro de Asistencia y Solidaridad (Center for assistance and Solidarity). This center is a ministry of the Metropolitan Alliance Church. They had displayed posters and used other advertising means to let people know that an orthopaedic doctor was going to provide services. The facility is humble. There is no air conditioning in the large open air waiting room and patients mill around waiting for their turn. They arrive early, take a number and then come and go waiting to be seen. We saw a variety of patients of differing ages and varied problems. Everyone received a detailed orthopedic exam with lots of time dedicated to listening to life stories and situations. Most people received tangible treatment. A few had vague problems which had no immediate solution yet they all appreciated the time given to them.

We had received a donation of Beany Babies from a friend at Eastern Shore Presbyterian Church in Fairhope. These little toys were perfect for the children here. They are from poor families and these new soft little animals were a source of delight. Thank you for the thoughtfulness in giving these.

Some of the conditions we examined:

A lady with a supernumerary thumb, (an extra thumb) who said she had never had problems but now the joint has become painful. She will obtain x-rays so that Paul can determine the status of the joints. Treatment options will depend on the x-ray studies.

We took leg measurements for a young woman suffering from a leg deformity in her right leg following polio as a child. When she stands her knee flexes backward and it is hard for her to walk. The plan is to have a brace made for her. This extensive measuring took over an hour but we hope that with all the data the prostothist will be able to make her a wonderful brace to help her walk better. She is quiet but appreciative. We hope to take the brace when we return in May.

A man came in with a fractured tibia, (lower leg). He is from deep in the country side. He hasn't seen a doctor and has been unable to use it for three months. He is so poor that he didn't have the five dollar fee that CAS charges for the poor so a friend paid it for him. We had brought some casting materials with us that day and were able to provide a cast for him as a gift. He was very thankful. We will see him when we return in late May to change the cast and check healing. 

A delight was checking a 5 year old boy Saturday, March 7, 2009 who had received bilateral corrections of both feet three years ago. His feet look great, he has no pain and is a perfectly functioning little boy. 

Today Saturday, we are recharging by resting , catching up on paperwork and hosting Jeff, the young man from Samaritan's Purse in charge of the Surgical Center Project. He flew in from Quito for a few days to work on the current phase of the project. Tomorrow we will attend church at The Metropolitan Alliance Church and will meet with the Board in the afternoon.

On Monday we will go back to CAS for our second clinic day there.

Taking it one day at a time, each day brings us challenges and opportunities. We feel wanted and useful in this setting.

On the personal home front we would like to report that the flower garden is beautiful and that the fruit garden is generous. We were greeted with more papayas on the tree than we will ever consume so we are sharing. The cooking bananas are ready and we have been preparing our own patacones. The orange tree has fruit, mint is thriving and the bananas also have fruit.

More to come after Monday.

Til then,

Paul and Flor from Crucita, Ecuador

The Mission Trip Begins

The mission trip begins, waiting for the once-a-day flight to Portoviejo. Always studying! Preparing for the many cases this week. More to come as we advance through yet another wonderful Ecuador Mission experience.